


wait, for as long as it takes

by emavee



Series: Whumptober 2020 [5]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Coma, Damian loves his big brother a lot, Gen, Hurt Dick Grayson, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26838019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emavee/pseuds/emavee
Summary: Damian doesn’t understand, because they rescued Richard nearly four whole days ago, so why hasn’t he woken up yet?Whumptober day 5: rescue
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne
Series: Whumptober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948276
Comments: 7
Kudos: 199





	wait, for as long as it takes

Damian slinks back down into the Cave to take up his vigil once more. He hadn’t quite won his argument with Father, but he’s not at school right now, and frankly that is all he cares about.

With a sigh, he settles into the chair beside Richard’s bedside. The machines beep slow and steady, matching the rhythmic rise and fall of Richard’s bandage-swathed chest. He is sounding much better today, even if the rest of the color has yet to return to his pale cheeks and grey lips.

Damian doesn’t understand, because they rescued Richard nearly four whole days ago, so why hasn’t he woken up yet? Father and Pennyworth and Drake have all said over and over that he is doing better, but Damian has yet to see such results. Healed, healthy people do not sleep like the dead. Richard should be waking up by now.

Damian is growing impatient. Not worried, no, merely exhausted of having to sit in this chair day after day waiting for Richard’s eyes to blink or fingers to twitch. It is not as if he can leave Richard to wake up  _ alone _ in the Cave, that would be nothing short of horrible and cruel, and Richard always insists that Damian is neither of those things. He would be neglecting his duties as Robin if he left his Batman alone in such a vulnerable state. 

He is merely doing his job to the best of his capabilities, as always.

“Richard,” he  _ does not _ whine, poking a little bit of his arm where the skin is miraculously neither broken nor discolored. It does not wake him as it normally does, not that Damian really thought it would. Richard is clearly determined to be a great big lazybones, surely making up for all the sleepless nights he spent on patrol or missions. 

“Fine,” Damian huffs. “Be that way. I can wait. I can be quite determined, as you know. Surely you don’t expect to outlast  _ me. _ ”

He settles himself in for another long wait. 

He has little else to do while he waits but sketch rather aimlessly, and quickly the lines of pencil take the shape of Richard’s slumbering face. He finds he can’t quite get the shadows right, and no matter what he does, he can’t get Richard to look like anything other than a corpse. 

He tears the page out in anger, crumpling it up and hurling it as far away from him as possible. He slams the sketchbook shut, deciding not to bother with it anymore. Richard is  _ not _ dead and he’s not  _ dying _ , and Damian won’t have him portrayed any other way.

Richard will not die. Damian will never allow it.

Surely there must be some cure that Father and Pennyworth have not yet tried, or something they are missing. Richard is  _ healing.  _ He should be fine by now, awake and chattering Damian’s ear off as if nothing had ever happened, as if he had never gone missing in the first place. He is not supposed to still be sleeping.

The lazy fool.

Richard had once said that physical comfort was quite possibly the cure for anything. Damian hadn’t even remotely believed him—there are plenty of ailments that cannot be coddled away, and in certain cases, further aggravation would only make the injured party worse off.

Still, it’s the only thing his family has yet to try in regards to Richard’s recovery. Clearly it is up to Damian to explore all possible options. It is necessary for Richard’s proper recovery.

He slides out of the chair and climbs carefully up onto the cot. It’s easy, even in Richard’s battered condition, to slot himself against Richard’s side. Richard cannot lift his arm to allow Damian access to a more comfortable position for the both of them, but Damian makes it work, worming his way in anyway. He is careful to be gentler than he usually would be, not willing to risk making Richard’s condition any worse. That would prove rather counterintuitive. 

“You are safe now, Richard,” he murmurs, cheek resting carefully against his chest. Even if Richard cannot hear him, surely he will be able to feel the rumbling of his words. In Damian’s own ear, Richard’s heartbeat is strong and steady and comforting. “Whenever you are ready to wake up, I will be here waiting. I won’t leave you.”

**Author's Note:**

> honestly this one was almost borderline fluff, but i wrote it after a different prompt where i really put dick and dami through it so... enjoy it while it lasts!


End file.
